This invention relates to fluid cylinders such as gas springs, accumulators and hydraulic cylinders and more particularly to an apparatus to install a retaining ring into a cylinder.
Typically, gas springs, accumulators, and pneumatic and hydraulic cylinders utilize a round spring steel wire retaining ring to retain a seal and bearing assembly which provides a seal and bearing surface adjacent the piston or piston rod and also retains the piston or piston rod within the cylinder. The retaining ring is usually received in a radius groove machined near the open end and in the interior surface of the cylinder. The retaining ring bears on a shoulder provided by the groove and the seal and bearing housing bears on the opposite face of the retaining ring to retain the seal and bearing assembly within the cylinder.
During assembly of a fluid cylinder, it is necessary to install the retaining ring into the groove within the cylinder. Retaining rings are typically difficult to compress, and thus, difficult to install. Tapered sleeves and accompanying pushers received in the tapered sleeves to drive the ring through the sleeve and into the cylinder have been used to facilitate installation of retaining rings in the past, but this requires expensive turned and heat treated parts and considerable operator skill, experience and judgment to successfully and safely install the retaining rings. Also, for different sizes of cylinders and retaining rings, different sizes of tapered sleeves and pushers are required further increasing the cost of this assembly method. For small cylinders and retaining rings the pusher may be driven by striking it with a heavy mallet to drive the retaining ring into a narrower portion of the sleeve and thereby compress the ring. However, larger cylinders require use of an arbor or hydraulic press to drive the pusher for installation of the retaining ring increasing the cost, time and labor needed to install each retaining ring.
A tool to install a retaining ring into a groove in a cylinder has a handle lever which carries an adjustable gripper constructed to engage the cylinder and a compressing lever constructed to engage a portion of the retaining ring with the compressing lever pivotally and slidably connected to the handle lever permitting relative movement between the two levers. The connection between the handle lever and the compressing lever permits them to be separated and joined together in a fashion that facilitates engaging and compressing the retaining ring for insertion into the cylinder.
To install a retaining ring into a cylinder, a portion of the retaining ring is disposed in the cylinder with another portion of the ring extending out of the cylinder. The compressing lever is then engaged with the retaining ring and pivoted towards the handle lever. A link connected between the handle lever and compressing lever slidably advances the compressing lever as it is pivoted towards the handle lever to compress the retaining ring to a size permitting the ring to fit within the cylinder. With the retaining ring compressed, a rubber mallet or other device is used to remove the retaining ring from the tool and dispose it in the groove in the cylinder.
The retaining ring installation tool permits safe, easy and quick installation of the retaining ring into the cylinder and requires relatively low force and a relatively low level of skill to use. Desirably, the tool is adjustable for use with a variety of sizes of retainer rings.
Objects, features and advantages of this invention include providing a tool to facilitate installation of a retaining ring into a groove in a cylinder which is formed from low cost materials, requires a relatively low level of skill to operate, requires relatively little force to install retaining rings, is adjustable for use with a variety of sizes of retaining rings, eliminates the need for expensive tapered sleeves and pushers, eliminates the need for a press to drive a pusher, utilizes an over-center toggle to hold a compressed retaining ring, is compact, of relatively simple design and economical manufacture and assembly, and in service has a long and useful life.